The Photo Album
by Amy-Star
Summary: Blaine didn't know what to expect when Sebastian's father invited them over for Christmas dinner. A man that despite being with his son for years Blaine barely knows. Written for the Sebastian Smythe Week prompt 'family'.


Blaine didn't know what to expect when Sebastian's father invited them over for Christmas dinner.

Blaine had known Sebastian since they were seventeen years old. They started dating when they were twenty. Now in their early thirties the two had been married for three years and had one child together. Yet Blaine could only think of a handful of times he actually spent time with the man who was his father-in-law.

The first time was when Sebastian graduated from Columbia. His father attended the graduation ceremony. The only person from Sebastian's family that did. Blaine had to spend an awkward two hours sitting beside a man who might as well be a complete stranger to him despite the intimacy he had with his son. Afterward Mr. Smythe shook Sebastian's hand and gave him a white envelope that contained a cheque. He briefly said it was money to help jump start Sebastian's post-university life before departing.

Blaine was stunned by the brief and impersonal exchange. If Sebastian didn't share so many physical characteristics with his father you'd never guess they were related. He'd been disappointed that Mr. Smythe couldn't spare any time to have dinner with them to celebrate Sebastian's accomplishments. Worst of all Sebastian didn't even seem surprised by what happened.

The second time was at their wedding. Blaine had been worried he wouldn't show up at all. A month after the invitations were sent out he never received a reply. He fretted over the fact he didn't know if Mr. Smythe was bringing a plus one or whether he wanted steak or fish for dinner or whether he'd be attending at all. Sebastian shrugged it off stating his father would show up if he had the time.

However Blaine was determined both Sebastian's parents would show.

He made several phone calls to Mr. Smythe's office only to deal with the secretary every time. He left messages but received no replies. After giving up any hope of him showing up to his own son's wedding Blaine was pleasantly surprised to see Mr. Smythe sitting in on the ceremony. Blaine even formulated plans in his head to ask his now father-in-law to give a speech at dinner. On Blaine's side his mother and brother and best friend Sam would be toasting the new couple. For Sebastian he just had Santana and who knew what the contents of her speech would entail. At the very least Blaine wanted someone who knew Sebastian since he was a child.

Disappointment followed when after the 'I dos' and the rings were exchanged. Mr. Smythe shook both their hands and handed over a white envelope with a cheque inside. To pay for the honeymoon Mr. Smythe had said before leaving to catch a plane to London.

The third time was when their son was born. Blaine would like to think Mr. Smythe had planned to come up to Chicago to see his first grandchild. However the truth was one of his business trips brought him to the area when Alex was born. He stopped by the hospital took a quick look at the baby before handing over another white envelope with a cheque inside. To help start the college fund Mr. Smythe said before picking up his brief case to leave for a meeting.

The entire situation was frustrating and sad to Blaine. His relationship with his first boyfriend's father had been great. Burt had a never ending stream of questions about Blaine and his life. Plus he asked them as if he sincerely wanted to get to know him. Whenever Blaine went over to the Hummel-Hudson house Burt always wanted Blaine to watch a game with him or to hear about Blaine's college plans. To this day even after breaking up with Kurt he continued to keep in contact with Burt. He at least wanted to have one conversation with Sebastian's father.

But no matter how hard it was for Blaine he couldn't imagine what Sebastian must of felt. The fact his husband had resigned himself to his father's absent presence was heart breaking.

Which came back to this Christmas dinner they had been invited to.

!

"I don't think we should have come," Sebastian said as they exited the car.

This was the third time Sebastian had made mention of his opinion since they left Blaine's parents house. It was odd for him to see his husband this apprehensive about something. He acted as if he'd been called for jury duty or was going to the dentist. Not visiting his father on Christmas eve.

"It'll be fine," Blaine assured him with a soft smile.

He opened the backdoor of the car to reach in and pull out their eighteen month old son. Sebastian had tried to argue that they leave him back with Blaine's parents but he refused. Mr. Smythe hadn't seen his grandson since that day in the hospital when she was born. He couldn't let an opportunity slip away for several generations of Smythes to be together.

Alex fidgeted a bit when Blaine pulled him up into his arms. Blaine guessed he still wasn't pleased with his outfit for the evening. A dark red velvet vest with a crisp white button up shirt and a pair of green dress pants. The finishing touch was green bowtie around his neck decorated with snowflakes. At the store Blaine couldn't contain himself at the sight of it while Sebastian and Alex shared matching disapproving stares. Blaine bought it anyways because he had only a few short years to dress Alex in outfits he liked if his stubbornness was anything to go by.

Blaine finally brought himself to a upright position. Alex squirmed a bit but Blaine held firm. He knew the minute he loosened his grip his son would find a way to escape. Already at a young age he was impossible to keep up with. A trait he inherited from Sebastian.

"It'll be fine," Blaine smoothed over Alex's soft blonde hair, "What could possibly go wrong at a dinner?"

"You don't know my father," Sebastian said darkly.

No I don't, Blaine thought, and that's kind of the problem.

Sebastian didn't put up anymore complaints after that. He simply led Blaine to the entrance of the house and knocked on the large double oak doors.

Not even a second later the door opened revealing a young woman in a dark grey maid outfit complete with white apron.

"Good evening sir," She greeted before gesturing for them to come inside.

Blaine smiled politely at her but it wasn't returned.

The three of them entered into the impressive foray which had white marble floors and gilded mirrors on the walls. Blaine watched as Sebastian took off his coat and without a pause passed it to the maid. She then turned to him staring expectantly.

"It's okay," Blaine offered, "I can handle my own coat."

The maid frowned at him like he just insulted her.

"Here babe," Sebastian reached forward to grab their son, "Just give her the coat."

Blaine didn't argue even though he found it to be a bit ridiculous. To make matters even more awkward she came up behind him to help take the coat off. Never before did Blaine feel more like a invalid.

Once she gathered their coast the maid turned to address Sebastian.

"The guests are in the saloon," She then gave a small curtsy before leaving them.

"That was a little unnecessary," Blaine huffed out.

"I found it kind of amusing," Sebastian chuckled.

At Blaine's unimpressed pout Sebastian leaned in to kiss him on the cheek in apology.

"Don't take it hard Blaine," He gave a undecipherable smile, "Things are done a certain way here. The help gets ticked off when you break from protocol."

Blaine nodded and ignored the fact Sebastian actually used the term 'the help.' There remained a few snobbish aspects of his husband's personality that would probably never fade.

As they walked through the mansion Blaine couldn't help but be overwhelmed by it. The design was impeccable and imposing. Dark mahogany wood paneling. Red silk wallpaper that looked like it was worth more than Blaine's previous teaching salary. Not to mention the pieces of modern art tastefully placed on the walls.

"Is that a Matisse?" Blaine pointed out to a particular painting.

"I'm letting you know that you're gaping," Sebastian teased.

"Sorry," Blaine tore his eyes from a side table he was certain was pre-colonial.

"You act like you've never been here," Sebastian pointed out.

True, Blaine had beet at the Smythe residence a couple times before. First in high school when Sebastian invited him over to 'study' but really he wanted to flirt with Blaine for an entire evening. After that for the sake of his relationship with Kurt he vowed never to leave himself alone in a empty house with Sebastian. The second was back in university during spring break. The two had decided to drive down to California to visit Blaine's brother. They stopped in Westerville for one night because it was cheaper than getting a hotel. Both times Blaine had spent most of the time in Sebastian's room.

"It's been nearly ten years since I was here," Blaine shot back.

"Still you seem in awe of the wealth of my family," Sebastian sighed out but the spark in his green eyes said he was joking, "I feel like you only married me for my money."

"Of course I did," Blaine played along, "Why else would I?"

The two shared amused smiles. For the first time tonight Blaine saw Sebastian relax. Unfortunately Sebastian's calm expression slowly slipped away when he focused on what was in front of them. Confused Blaine turned to see what cause that reaction in Sebastian. They were standing at the entrance to a large room, that Blaine assumed to be the saloon, filled with sharply dressed men and women in beautiful evening gowns. Not exactly the intimate family affair Blaine was hoping for.

As they drew closer Blaine saw that a string quartet as in the corner playing Christmas songs yet not sounding remotely festive. Waiters darted between the guests with trays filled with bit sized food and glasses of champagne. No one noticed their arrival too deeply engaged in conversation.

Blaine thought he heard Sebastian mumble 'I knew it' under his breath before Mr. Smythe appeared in front of them.

"Sebastian," Mr. Smythe greeted.

"Father," Sebastian replied.

Blaine gave his father-in-law a nervous smile who in return nodded at him curtly. It threw Blaine off sometimes when he saw Mr. Smythe. The similarities he shared with his son were uncanny. The same tall and lithe build. The same high cheek bones. The same intense green eyes. However there was a coldness to Mr. Smythe. He held himself in a way that kept him closed off from everyone else. The thin line of his lips and smoothness of his expression not giving away any emotion.

For a brief second Blaine was struck with the memory of teenage Sebastian. The boy who wore the Dalton colors like a armor and sneered coldly when someone tried to reach out to him. The boy that Blaine was fascinated by but knew he could never be close to. So much had changed since then.

"You brought the baby?" Mr. Smythe asked.

"We assumed this was going to be a family affair," Sebastian said dryly, "I should have known better."

Alex unaware of the tense conversation going on stared to wiggle about in Sebastian's arms. His small legs kicked as he giggled. Lost in his own amusement in a way only a baby could. Normally people melted at the sight of Alex. Blaine even caught a few party guests gazing at their son with a sort of fondness. Except Mr. Smythe whose expression remained solidly indifferent.

"Perhaps your husband can take charge of the child," Mr. Smythe suggested, "There are people I want you to meet."

Sebastian opened his mouth to argue but Blaine quickly stepped in to cut him off. He wanted to keep the peace between father and son.

"Of course I can," Blaine slipped his hands under Alex's arms and lifted him up.

Sebastian allowed Alex to be taken but he didn't seem pleased. His eyes narrowed at his father like he was trying to figure him out. Blaine watched the scene anxiously. He didn't even notice that Alex had started to play with his perfectly straighten tie.

"Well who are these people?" Sebastian asked in a neutral tone.

Mr. Smythe inclined his head for them to follow him to a portly man in his late fifties with a glass of scotch in his hand.

"Smythe," The portly man reached out to shake his hand, "How are you keeping?"

"Fine Johnson," Mr. Smythe then gestured to Sebastian, "This is my son."

"Ah Smythe Junior," Johnson stared at Sebastian with obvious interest, "Your father talked about you non stop. Apparently you're quite the prodigy."

"I won't argue with that," Sebastian said.

"Heard you graduated top of your law class," Johnson continued, "Now you have a near perfect record of won cases."

Sebastian gave a knowing smirk but said nothing.

"We could use a young man like you at my firm," Johnson exchanged a quick look with Mr. Smythe, "Ever think about moving to Florida?"

"No, never." Sebastian said simply, "I wouldn't move to that poor excuse for a state even if I was retiring."

Johnson kept smiling but there was a hardness in his eyes that unnerved Blaine.

"We could offer you a higher salary then the one you're currently getting."

"Not interested," Sebastian said in his bored voice. The tone he used when he had absolutely no interest in the person talking to him. Blaine had seen it be used many times before. Though the setting was a bit different. Back when they dated in college it was Sebastian's go to tactic to ward off unwanted admirers at the club. He'd give them an unimpressed look coupled with unenthusiastic short answers. Blaine could tell that Johnson was not used to anyone talking to him in that way.

"Well if you change your mind," Johnson held out his business card.

"I won't" Sebastian said not making a single move to retrieve the card.

That first meeting became the trend for the next hour.

Mr. Smythe introduced Sebastian to lawyers, CEOs, politicians who all offered him a job. Sebastian showed little to no interest and rejected every one of them. Blaine had never seen so many important looking people wilt under Sebastian's sharp words and withering looks. Sebastian knew exactly how to make a person feel unwanted. While Blaine had never been more uncomfortable in his entire life. Especially since at the start of every conversation his and Alex's presence were ignored by everyone but Sebastian. Excluding one horrible moment when the current governor of Ohio, a staunch Republican who campaigned with strong Christian values, ventured that Sebastian would make a perfect match for his niece.

Instead of politely declining Sebastian wrapped one arm around Blaine's waist to pull him flush against his side.

"Have you met my husband Governor? We had wanted to get married in Ohio but it remains illegal here unfortunately. How about my son who was brought into this world with help from our lesbian best friend."

An unbearable silence stretched out as the Governor frowned in distaste.

"Pleasure," The governor turned to leave, "Now please excuse me."

Blaine decided he too needed to make a quick exit. In the past hour Alex had grown more and more fussy. He knew there mere minutes stood between them and a very loud tantrum. If this was how the whole night was going to be then he sticking around was necessary. Now he just needed to convince Sebastian of that.

"I'm going to leave," He said under his breath to Sebastian.

"Excellent idea," Sebastian nearly broke out into a grin, "I'll get the car and we can go."

"No I think you should stay," Blaine said while he caught Mr. Smythe staring at them with mild disapproval.

"I'm not letting you leave without me," Sebastian countered.

"I meant that I was going up to your room," Blaine rubbed Alex's back when he let out a frustrated whimper, "If I don't let our son blow off some energy he's going to explode."

Sebastian's expression immediately softened. His hand reaching out to tickled their son's sides. Alex erupted into giggles as his tiny hands tried to grab a hold of Sebastian's. Blaine watched the sweet moment with a small smile before getting his husband's attention again.

"Your Father obviously wants to show you off."

"I doubt that's what he's doing."

"Sebastian come on," Blaine urged, "How often do you spend time with your Father?"

"Fine," Sebastian sighed out, "Can you find my room?"

"Of course I can," Blaine kissed Sebastian softly on the lips, "I have a better memory than you think.

!

Blaine found Sebastian's bedroom on the third try.

The room hadn't changed much since Blaine had last been in there. It was furnished with the best that money could buy and decorated tastefully but it reminded Blaine of a hotel room. Impersonal and cold. Sebastian also had a taste for minimalist design. There were no decorations on the walls or any items cluttering the space on top of furniture. Which became a problem when the two of them had renovated their first home four years ago. Sebastian preferred muted colors with glass and steel for textures. Blaine much preferred warm colors and classic American style to give it a homey feel. Of course in the end Blaine won with the exception of Sebastian's home office and the cerulean blue color scheme of their bedroom.

Blaine placed Alex on a dark grey throw rug with a few of his toys he retrieved from the car. No longer having to worry about him getting into mischief Blaine let him play as he explored the room. He was drawn over to the book shelf that was the only part of the room that had any personal effects left over. He found a dog eared copy of 'Great Expectations', a chemistry text book, and a set of expensive looking encyclopedias. His eyes then caught a leather bound book with no inscription on the side. Curious Blaine took it off the shelf and opened to see what was inside. To his surprise it was a photo album of Sebastian from when he was a baby to a young child. Blaine had seen very few pictures from Sebastian's childhood. He claimed that his parents weren't the type to take pictures and Blaine took his word for it. However here in his hands were pictures of a small blond hair boy with freckles across his nose and a crooked smile.

"Look Alex," Blaine bent down and tilted the book towards him, "It's Dada when he was little."

Alex grinned widely and slapped his small hands excitedly on the pictures. His son probably had no idea what he was saying but there were a select few words that got him that excited; juice, snack time, park, Papa and Dada.

Blaine smiled softly at his son as his eyes moved back to the picture of Sebastian's in the photo album. Not for the first time did he realize how similar the two of them looked. Alex inherited Sebastian's green eyes, pointed nose, and a slanted smile that meant trouble. He now realized that their hair color was the same too. He wondered if Alex's blonde hair would also eventually darken to a sandy brown.

So engrossed by the pictures Blaine didn't realize that someone else had entered the room till they cleared their throat.

"Mr. Smythe," Blaine grinned sheepishly when he stood back up to full height, "You startled me."

"My apologies," He said smoothly as his dark eyes flickered to the book in Blaine's hand.

"They're pictures of Sebastian when he was little," He informed politely.

nodded but said nothing. During the awkward silence Blaine got an idea. There was very little he shared in common with with the exception of Sebastian. This album may provide the kind of bonding moment he needed to get to know the man better.

"Actually I was wondering if you can tell me about this one," Blaine showed him a picture of Sebastian covered in red and blue paint, "I'm sure there's a great story behind it."

"I don't know," Mr. Smythe replied.

"Oh. Well what about this one," Blaine flipped to another page, "How old was Sebastian when he started little league."

"I assume six or seven. I don't know for certain."

After several more attempts to get to talk about the pictures a horrible reality dawned on Blaine. had no idea about any of them because he wasn't around. This album filled with snapshots from his son's childhood might as well be one of a stranger. It filled Blaine with both anger and pity. That this man couldn't recall how many home runs Sebastian hit, or what part he had in his grade school play, or whether he loved or hated his clown Halloween costume. How could a person miss so much of their child's life?

"This one was taken a couple months after Sebastian was born," Mr. Smythe finally recognized a picture.

Blaine was surprised at his first glance of the photo. The young man in the picture bore a striking resemblance to Sebastian. Blaine quickly realized it was a young Mr. Smythe. In the photo young Mr. Smythe was holding a small baby wrapped in a blue blanket that Blaine assumed to be Sebastian. Out of all the photos this was the only one where the two of them appeared together.

Once again Blaine felt a wave of sadness about that. Back at their home Blaine had hundreds of photos of Sebastian and Alex together. Moments of Sebastian feeding him, or bathing him, or playing with him. There were three pages dedicated to photos of Alex asleep on Sebastian's chest while he watched television. Blaine wondered if Mr. Smythe did any of those things with his son but a part of him doubted it.

The awkward moment would have continued to stretch out if it wasn't for Sebastian's timely appearance.

"So this is where the party is at," Sebastian spoke out.

Blaine immediately could tell he was angry. Anyone else wouldn't of guessed it by Sebastian's casual stance and the neutral expression on his face. His husband had an amazing poker face that few could decipher. However Blaine could see what lurked in Sebastian's green eyes and knew it wasn't good.

Blaine put the photo album back on the shelf and picked up Alex.

"Blaine and I were looking at pictures," Mr. Smythe said easily.

Blaine almost laughed out loud at that. It was certainly the nicest way to describe what had happened.

"I'm sure," Sebastian said with an edge of sarcasm, "Now lets move past the bullshit-"

"Language," Mr. Smythe admonished.

"And you tell me the real reason you invited us here," Sebastian didn't even miss a beat, "Because I know it has nothing to do with 'family time'."

remained silent for several minutes perhaps weighing his options. Sebastian stood there patiently waiting for a response. Blaine held Kathryn off to the side not knowing if he needed to intervene.

"I heard you accept the offer to work for Kohl, Samerson and Moore."

"I thought so," A smile stretch out on Sebastian's lips that was sharp, "I should have known you would have a problem with me working for a perfectly acceptable law firm."

"They are barely adequate," Mr. Smythe corrected, "Way below what you're capable of."

"That's what you've been doing," Sebastian mused bitterly, "I wasn't meeting your 'friends' I was going through a job interview relay."

"Do not take that tone with me. Especially since I was simply trying to help."

"Help?" Sebastian barked out a harsh laugh, "Why would I need help from you?"

"If you plan to provide for your family then you need a higher caliber of job," Mr. Smythe's eyes briefly flickered towards Blaine, "Particular if you're the sole provider."

Blaine bristled at that implication. Yes, it was true Blaine decided to take leave from his job to stay home and raise Alex. But it wasn't as if Blaine was a gold digger who was taking advantage of Sebastian's money.

"Pardon me sir but Sebastian doesn't provide for me," Blaine interrupted, "We provide for each other."

"I'm certain you do," Mr. Smythe said in a voice that should have been apologetic but came across condescending, "I meant financially."

"Our fiances are none of your business," Sebastian stated, "Sure we'll never have a summer home in France and we'll never own more than two cars. But those are concessions I'm willing to make."

"A Smythe doesn't accept losses when he can achieve so much more."

"I know the family motto Father," Sebastian snapped as his control began to unravel, "I kept it close to my heart for many years. Your incessant belief that the only thing that matters is winning. In the end it cost more than it ever gave me."

"I'm merely wanted you to have a higher quality of life."

"No offense but what would you know of that," Sebastian's voice splintered with frustration, "To me a higher quality of life would be to actually spend time with my family. For my son to actually get to know me. The jobs you want me to have would prevent that."

The two men stared each other down. The tension in the air grew even more palpable in the silence. In his arms Alex had become quiet and trembling slightly.

To their surprise Alex didn't respond to things that scared or upset him by crying or putting up a fuss. Instead he drew up into himself and start shaking like a leaf. And nothing upset him more than when one or both of his parents were angry. Because of that Sebastian and Blaine made certain arguments were held behind closed doors. Unfortunately they had slipped up a month ago by having a huge argument in the same room he was in. When they came back to their senses it took them nearly an hour to calm their son down.

Blaine wanted to get Alex out of this situation before he became too upset. By the concerned look in Sebastian's eyes that glanced over at them Blaine knew he noticed it too.

"We're leaving," Sebastian turned to his husband, "Blaine I'll get the car and meet you at the front door."

Without another word Sebastian swept out of the room.

Blaine shifted his glance over to Mr. Smythe. He stood rigid and expressionless. The only sign that he had just been in a argument was the clenching of his fists at his sides.

He didn't know what to say. Or even if he should say anything. Sebastian's relationship with his father was a tortured one. For years Blaine had hoped some form a reconciliation would happen. Now he was beginning to understand that sometimes there are things broken beyond repair.

He wanted to say something. To somehow bridge the gap between father and son. Then Alex shifted uneasily in his arms and let out a soft whimper. Blaine knew he was seconds away from crying. He left the room without hesitation.

The party had continued on down stairs. Growing louder and more boisterous now that people had been drinking in the past hour. Blaine didn't even cast an eye in that direction. Intent on leaving the house as soon as possible. Sebastian seemed to have shared the same desire since he stood in the entry way by the front door with their coats ready.

The second Sebastian spotted them he rushed forward and gently took a distressed Alex into his arms.

"I'm sorry baby boy," Sebastian soothed,"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Blaine watched his husband cradled their infant son. His eyes closed shut. His hand rubbing down his small back in calming circles.

People would be surprised to know that Sebastian had a gentle and sweet side to him buried underneath the sarcasm and bluntness. It had taken Blaine years to see it. He had assumed, the same way everyone else did, that Sebastian was cruel and selfish and cared for no one but himself. However after peeling back the layers of defense Sebastian put up Blaine saw that his husband was truly a kind and considerate person. In moments like this when he held Alex as if he were the most precious thing in the world Blaine knew for certain.

"Let's go home," Blaine came up to his husband's side.

Sebastian nodded and smiled weakly in return. The fight he had shown his father had melted away leaving him vulnerable. Blaine pressed in close to offer up what strength he could. The family of three then walked out the door for the last time.

A week later Blaine received a package in the mail from Mr. Smythe. There was no card or note just a leather bound photo album.


End file.
